The Five Solas
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*PICTURE OF OLYMPIC RINGS*
Sola Scriptura
Sola Scriptura
What is the highest authority in the church?
When Martin Luther began the Reformation, the Catholic church published a response saying ‘Whoever does not hold fast to the teachings of the Roman Church and of the Pope as the infallible rule of faith, from which even Holy Scripture draws its strength and authority, is a heretic.’ (Sylvestro Prierias, On the Power of the Papacy, third thesis.
Do you agree with this statement?
As protestants, we believe the Word of God is the only authority of the Church. This is the foundation of the Reformation. Luther and the Reformers saw that the church had become corrupt because it had so far deviated from Scripture. They started to make up doctrines about Mary, purgatory, indulgences and so on.
So what is Sola Scriptura?
Definition: The original manuscripts of the sixty-six books of the Bible are the inerrant, infallible, and sole authority for salvation and Christian living. All other ecclesiastical authority is derived from Scripture.
Why original manuscripts? Because the Bible had to be copied by hand for many years, and the scribes were not infallible. So is it impossible to know the original words? Of course not.
So here’s the main difference between the catholics and protestants.
Catholic: Scripture = infallible. Church’s interpretation of Scripture = infallible.
Protestant: Scripture = infallible. Church’s interpretation of Scripture = fallible.
The Bible says that Scripture is θεόπνευστος, meaning breathed-out.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
This expression shows us that Scripture comes from the breath of God, the Holy Spirit.
knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Isn’t it true that your words are an expression of your personality? If you’re a polite person, your words will be polite. If you’re an angry person, your words will be angry. Likewise, since Scripture is the Word of God, it shares in some of God’s attributes. God cannot lie and He knows all things, so His Word is infallible and inerrant. So Scripture is trustworthy because God is trustworthy. Scripture is holy because God is holy. We need to obey Scripture because we need to obey God.
So if Scripture is the only authority, why does the church have authority figures like pastors and elders? Pastors and elders have authority in the church because they have demonstrated knowledge, obedience, and submission to the Word of God. The leaders of the church only have authority to the degree that they hold on to the Word of God.
So members of the church need to respect and submit to the lesser authorities, but only because they are first and foremost submitting to the authority of the Bible.
How can Scripture witness to its own authority?
It doesn’t make sense for any other human organization to be the decider of what is divine or not. Only God’s Word carries the authority to declare what is God’s Word. In some muslim countries, it is their government that decides what is God’s Word. But Christians don’t believe in that.
What about the Apocrypha?
The canon of the Alexandrian Jews included the Apocrypha. Historical evidence indicates that the Palestinian canon, used by the Jews in Israel, did not contain the Apocrypha. From the Reformers’ perspective, the original Jewish canon was the Palestinian canon, not the Alexandrian canon.
Some evidence emerged showing that even among the Alexandrian Jews, the Apocrypha was only considered as deuterocanonical or secondary-level status.
Solus Christus
Solus Christus
Definition: Christ alone is the only mediator of salvation. There is no salvation apart from Him.
There are three general views on the way to salvation: exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism.
Exclusivism says that Jesus is the only way, and all other religions are wrong. There is no salvation other than through Jesus Christ.
Inclusivism states that there is salvation for those who don’t know Jesus, but who lived like Jesus. Those who lived upright and righteous lives, and did their best to do good in the world, they will enter heaven.
Those who believe in inclusivism will quote Romans 2:13
For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.
Do we believe Romans 2:13 is true? Amen. But can any of us truly be doers of God’s righteous law?
Pluralism states that there are multiple ways to salvation other than Jesus.
Which is the right answer? It depends on whether you believe in Sola Scriptura. Many people make their arguments based on their feelings. I feel that God should save the righteous person even though they didn’t believe in Jesus. I feel that God should be fair to all other religions who have people trying their best to be good.
I feel that God should do this, God should do that.
Instead of arguing based on our feelings, we need to ask “What has God said in His Word?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Sola Gratia
Sola Gratia
Definition: Sola Gratia means that salvation is by ‘grace alone’.
What is grace? Grace is the unmerited favor of God toward human beings. It is God giving us something good that we don’t deserve.
And in this case, it is salvation that we do not deserve, but God gives it to us by His grace.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
So what this means is that God is a God who chooses. Salvation isn’t handed out based on who did better than the other person. Salvation isn’t a test which you pass or fail. Salvation is given to whoever God chooses. Why? Because the Bible says that nobody deserves to be saved, and yet some are saved.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
There’s a saying in religious studies. What you are saved with, is what you are saved to. The way in which you are saved tells you a lot about the God who is saving you.
Let’s say your house is on fire, and the a handsome man comes to your window to save you, but he brings a paywave machine with him. Would you like to spend the rest of your life with that guy?
The God of the Bible isn’t that guy. God saves, and there’s no amount you have to pay. Salvation is less like getting into Harvard, and more like getting into Hogwarts.
This grace of God is the driving force of love that moves redemptive history forward. Each and every step of the way for our salvation is driven by God’s grace being lavished and poured out upon us.
Sola Fide
Sola Fide
Definition: The doctrine of Sola Fide states that salvation can only be received through faith alone.
What is faith? Faith is another word for trust or confidence. And only by trusting in Christ can a person be saved.
For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
But what is the object of our faith? What do you trust in for your salvation?
Whether you have a big faith or a small faith, what’s most important is that your faith must be in Jesus Christ.
When you came into this sanctuary, you all sat down on the chairs. Whether you had a great faith in the chair or a small faith in the chair, it doesn’t affect the chair’s ability to support you. Either it does or it doesn’t.
Likewise, whether we have a big or small faith, if it’s in Christ Jesus, we will receive salvation. Amen?
In this way, Sola Fide and Solus Christus must be together. And Solus Christus comes only from Sola Scriptura.
What about Sola Fide and Sola Gratia? How does faith and grace interact?
The Bible says that we are saved by grace through faith.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
So what does this mean? This means that even our faith in Christ is not something we generated on our own. It is a gift from God to us. What this means is that it is impossible for fallen man to believe in Christ on our own. But by God’s sovereign choice, by His grace toward us, He has given us something we don’t deserve. Faith in Christ.
So the Gospel isn’t about being better than the nonbelievers. The Gospel says that we aren’t any better than them, and in fact, we deserve what they’re getting. But God has chosen us and saved us by His grace, through faith.
Put another way, you don’t need faith to be chosen by God. But if you are chosen by God, you will have faith. Faith is a necessary condition for salvation, but not for election.
So what does Sola Fide give us? It gives us peace.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Peace comes from being secure. It comes from knowing that you’ve locked the front door, and nobody can get in.
Sola Fide gives us peace because our salvation doesn’t depend on whether we have a big or small faith, or a big or small obedience, or a big or small service to the church. It only depends on whether Christ is the only object of your faith. We may be weak believers, but Jesus is a mighty Savior.
Soli Deo Gloria
Soli Deo Gloria
Definition: the doctrine of Soli Deo Gloria means ‘glory to God alone.’ It means that everything that goes well goes well because God made it go well. And if not for God, nothing would go well and nobody would be saved.
So what this means is that there is nothing good that we do or have that isn’t from God.
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
So because of this, all the glory goes to God, and not to us.
I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
But here’s the thing. Some people don’t like this doctrine.
Who here likes to be around someone who cares only about their own glory? No one likes an egomaniac. So is God a narcissistic egomaniac who only cares about His glory?
Here is where we need to go back to Sola Scriptura. Scripture teaches us that God is one God in three persons. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And what do we see in Scripture? Does Jesus seek to glory Himself? Does the Holy Spirit seek to glorify Himself? No. Jesus wants to glorify the Father, and the Holy Spirit wants to glorify the Father and the Son.
If the Father receives glory, the Son and the Holy Spirit receive glory. And likewise if the Son or the Spirit receives glory. So the Father desires to be glorified because it means that His Son and His Spirit would also be glorified.
Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
It’s kind of like an athlete who runs a relay. They run their fastest not only for their own glory, but for the glory of their entire team.
So God isn’t a selfish narcissist. Soli Deo Gloria is about love within the Trinity.
But Soli Deo Gloria is also about love outside the Trinity. Why? Because Scripture says that the end of redemptive history will include the glorification of the saints.
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
How does this happen?
Because Jesus will return with glory, and share His glory with the saints.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
The God of the Bible is a glory-sharing God. And so the followers of Jesus are called to glorify God because He is a loving, humble, glory-sharing God. In this sense, the history of redemption is the history of God sharing His glory with mankind.
what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
